Review: Reputation

Reputation by Lex Croucher
My rating: 4.25 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD

This is a romance, but it’s not a romance. There’s a woman and a man who both like each other and eventually say those things and figure things out, but honestly, that’s not what stood out to me about this book. The core of this book is friendship: wanting it, finding it, figuring out how to be good at it. And trust me, no one in this book has it all figured out.

Georgiana has spent her life feeling like no one really cares a thing about her, like life is just going to pass her by while she shrivels up and dies, alone in a drawing room. So it’s a pretty heady feeling for her when she is not only noticed by the fancy, rich, sophisticated Frances, but actually becomes friends with her and her wild friends. And they do actually become friends, because what else can you call a person you tell your deepest secrets to, whom you trust to hold your hand and be there for you in your darkest moments. Of course, just because Georgina and Frances are friends doesn’t mean they are *good* friends to one another.

In the midst of all this, Georgina is doing a bit of growing up - sure, it’s a rush when you say whatever you happen to be thinking and everyone around you laughs and appreciates it, but what of the consequences of your words? Georgina gets a hard look at herself from the outside, and doesn’t always like what she sees. There’s a bit of Emma in these realizations she’s having, finally understanding that she can choose to be kind instead of cruel, thoughtful instead of thoughtless. One of my favorite moments was when Georgina went to visit Betty and apologize, not expecting anything in return. “I forgot what I had promised you and then, instead of giving you the apology you deserved, I was terrible to you. I know you are always inclined towards forgiveness, but my behavior was truly unforgivable, and no one would speak badly of you if you never spoke to me again. If you’ll let me though, Betty, I want to make it up to you.”

Throughout this whole friend/debauchery/forgiveness journey, Georgina meets and falls for Thomas, who is as kind and thoughtful as he is handsome. Of course, Thomas has his own past that he’s dealing with, and I won’t go into those here, but I love all of his and Georgina’s interactions, especially the adorably flirty letters they send back and forth, and you can tell that they truly enjoy and care for one another, so I was relieved every time he showed up. (Except that time Betty was drugged and he was looking at Georgina with such disgust. He was giving me such Knightly vibes, when he was shaming Emma for her cruelty.) Together, Georgina and Thomas make one another better, and make each other’s lives happier, and I think that’s the most you can hope for.

This book has so many funny moments, it would be easy to call it a rom-com, but I have to mention there are some dark things they are dealing with as well. There’s heavy alcohol and drug use that results in both risky and bad behavior, as well as in death (previous to the plot of this book, but it’s an impact). There’s also the heavy implication that sexual assault is happening yet being treated very casually, because the men in their circle know if the women say anything, they’ll be ruined. And then it’s not just implication: Frances doesn’t say she was raped, but she clearly didn’t consent to what Jeremiah did to her, and Georgina clearly didn’t either. I understand why Frances was still intent on getting Jeremiah to propose, being unwilling to open herself up to the ruination of her reputation. It feels really modern for Georgina to take a stand and tell the truth, and have so many people backing her, but I’d like to think that women standing up for women happened for real back in the regency period. Jeremiah might not have gotten the punishment he deserved, but that final confrontation at the church graveyard was quite satisfying: not only does everyone get to see what he’s really like, Betty knocks him out!

There’s also the whole Frances and Jane of it all - it might be acceptable for Jonathan to see men and maintain his independence, but for women, who are so dependent on their male relations in that misogynistic culture, they can’t always just *choose* not to marry. Luckily, this one gets a happy-ish ending, too.

Overall, I really enjoy Lex Croucher’s humour and style, and the way they bring a modern sensibility to historical fiction, without filling the pages with outright anachronisms. There are lots of fun little pop culture references littered in there that made me laugh, but at least no one tried to make fetch happen. I can’t wait to keep reading more of their books.

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